Maximum fine for nude walk in Singapore

April 30, 2009

A pair of university students in Singapore, a man and a woman, were each fined $1,350 for taking a walk in the nude through a commercial area.

Eng Kai Er, 24, and Jan Philip, 21, were sentenced Thursday to pay the maximum fine for an obscene act after they admitted to taking a nude stroll through Holland Village on a Saturday evening in January, The Straits Times reported Thursday.

Court papers said the students took the walk to seek thrill.

William Chan, a lawyer for the duo, said the National University of Singapore students attempted to check whether public nudity was an offense before taking their walk, but they were unaware that the act is considered an obscene act under the Penal Code.

Chan said the pair are exchange students and their actions may have been the result of cultural differences.

While certain things are accepted overseas, they may not be in Singapore. They are students. Perhaps they were immersed in a different culture, he said.